2009 NBA Mock Draft 21-30

21. Utah Jazz – SF Sam Young, Senior – Pittsburgh

 His stock has risen due to his performance in the NCAA tournament.  He is a great athletic with crazy explosiveness. He has developed a 3-point shot as well as a mid-range shot.  He also has a great amount of potential that teams could be looking at to develop.

22. New Orleans Hornets - PF DaJuan Blair, Sophomore – Pittsburgh

In his sophomore season, Blair has been a beast in the Big East conference.  He is a big, thick kid, with soft hands and has a football player mentality.  Projected to be a late 1st round draft pick but could be a big time player in the NBA.  He is not very quick and raw offensively but continues to progress as the season goes on.

23. Portland Trail Blazers – PF Craig Brackins, Sophomore – Iowa State

Is a versatile big man who can score inside and outside.  He is a very good athlete and has tremendous leaping ability.  Brackins has been inconsistent in his two year college career.  He also needs to improve on his defense.

24. Sacramento Kings (From Houston)  - PG Jonny Flynn, Sophomore – Syracuse

Flynn is an undersized guard but is very explosive and is hard to stay in front of.  Has shot the ball a lot better this year and looks to continue to improve on it.  Played excellent towards the end of the season and should continue to rise in scouts’ eyes.

25. Oklahoma City Thunder (From Denver) - C Jerome Jordan, Junior – Tulsa

He is a long athletic big man who can change the game just by his defensive presence.  He is a strong finisher and continues to improve his low post skills.  If he continues his offensive game he could be a end of the line lottery pick.

26. Chicago Bulls (From Oklahoma City) - SG Terrence Williams, Senior – Louisville

He has great potential and is very athletic.  The one downfall for Williams is his lack of consistency.  He is a good scorer with a shaky shot.  If he continue to improve his outside shot he could be a nice contribution to a team in the NBA.

27. Minnesota Timberwolves (From Boston)- SG Gerald Henderson, Junior – Duke

Henderson has really improved his game especially his jump shot.  He is a 2-guard with great athleticism and can do almost anything on the court.  Could continue to improve his three point shot.

28. Memphis Grizzlies (From Orlando) - PF Tyler Hansbrough, Senior – North Carolina

He continues to be one of the top college players but there are still questions about his future in the NBA.  The one thing that doesn’t let up is his work ethic and drive to succeed.  He has improved his jump shot and his offensive moves throughout his four years at UNC.

29. Los Angeles Lakers - PG Jeff Teague, Sophomore – Wake Forest

Teague has had a break-out sophomore season after having a solid freshman year.  This year he is averaging 20 points and 4 assists a game.  He posses a long range jump shot and continues to improve his point guard skills.  If he continues to impress scouts at the PG position then he could be a top 10 draft pick in 2009.

30.  Cleveland Cavaliers- SG Wayne Ellington, Junior – North Carolina

He was the most outstanding player in the final four which helped is draft stock.  He is a great shooter with a scorers mentality.  He is undersized for a 2-man and needs to continue to put on muscle.  He also needs to work on his defense but will be a great addition to any NBA team in need of an outside shooter.

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2009 NBA Mock Draft 11-20

11. Indiana Pacers - PF Greg Monroe, Freshman – Georgetown

Greg Monroe has many positive things going for him.  The lefty has a good shot, excellent athlete who can score from anywhere on the court.  He needs to work on improving his right hand and also his defense.  He needs to add strength to his body which as a freshman is NBA ready.

12. Milwaukee Bucks - PG Brandon Jennings – Italy

Jennings turned down a scholarship to play at Arizona and went to Italy to play ball.  He is only averaging 6.6 points per game but has tremendous upside.  He is a freakish athlete with great court vision.  He needs to continue to work on his scoring as well as his strength to become a good NBA player.

13. Charlotte Bobcats – PG/SG Tyreke Evans, Freshman – Memphis

Already has an NBA body with a 6’11″ wingspan.  He has a scorers mentality with a quick first step.  Can play the point guard position or the shooting guard depending on personnel.  Needs to work on a consistent mid-range jump shot as well as shot selection.

14. Phoenix Suns - SG DeMar DeRozan, Freshman – USC

DeRozan is a freakish athlete who can finish in open space.  As a freshman at Southern California he is averaging 13 points and 5 rebounds per game.  He needs to improve his jump shot as well as his ball handling skills.

15. Chicago Bulls - C B.J. Mullens, Freshman – Ohio State

Mullens is blessed with great size, strength, and athleticism.  At one point scouts thought he could be the #1 overall draft pick but hasn’t really shown it this year.  He is a legit 7 footer with a good jump shot.  He has dropped off a lot but with his potential he still could be a lottery pick.  Some negatives on him is his lack of aggression and at times he takes plays off. 

16. Detroit Pistons – PG Ty Lawson, Junior – North Carolina

Lawson made a great decision to come back for his Junior season.  He is very quick and pushes the ball up the court very well.  Has great court vision but needs to continue to work on his outside shot.  He is projected to be a late first round draft pick.

17. Philadelphia 76ers - SF Al-Farouq Aminu, Freshman – Wake Forest

Aminu started his freshman year playing solid and now he has been playing great.  He is a great athlete with a 7’4″ wingspan.  He needs to continue to improve his ball handling and jump shot as well as improve his strength.

18. Minnesota Timberwolves (From Miami) - PG Eric Maynor, Senior – Virginia Commonwealth

Maynor is coming off a great senior year at VCU.  He is a smart point guard who is quick and aggressive.  Has improved his shot through the years but needs to continue to work on it.  Also needs to add some strength but should be a very good pro point guard.

19. Atlanta Hawks - PF James Johnson, Sophomore – Wake Forest

A very strong power forward with great size.  He is averaging 13 points and 8 rebounds per game as a sophomore at Wake Forest.  The big question about him is what position he will play in the NBA.  His shot selection is suspect as well but should be a nice addition to any team in the late first round.

20. Dallas Mavericks – SG Evan Turner – Ohio State

In his sophomore season at Ohio State, Turner has improved is points, rebounds, assists, and steals per game.  He has good size for a two guard and very athletic.  He can also play many positions on the court which will make his value go up.

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2009 NBA Mock Draft

1. Sacramento Kings – PF Blake Griffin, Sophomore – Oklahoma

The 6’10″ 245 lbs power forward from Oklahoma is having an outstanding sophomore season after being a top 5 prospect in last years’ NBA draft.  This year Griffin is averaging 22 points and 14 rebounds a game.  He has tremendous size and strength with soft hands and very athletics.  Some negatives on him right now are lack of post moves, shaky jump shot, as well as free-throw shooting.

2. Washington Wizards – PG Ricky Rubio – Spain

His performance in the Olympics this summer caught the eye of many scouts that compare him to Pistol Pete Maravich.  He looks to be a top 5 draft pick in the 2009 NBA draft.  He posses great size for his  position and has a very high basketball IQ.  He is very crafty getting to the basket but needs to improve on his long range jump shot and also his strength.

3. Los Angeles Clippers - C Hasheem Thabeet, Junior – Connecticut

Like Blake Griffin, Thabeet could have come out last year and been a high draft pick but he chose to come back for his Junior year.  Currently he is averaging 13 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 blocks.  He is a major shot blocker as well as someone who changes shots.  He continues to improve his offensive skills and needs to get stronger but will be a very solid NBA player.

4. Memphis Grizzlies - PF Jordan Hill, Sophomore – Arizona

Hill has improved tremendously during his three years at Arizona.  This year he is averaging 18 points, 12 rebounds and 2 blocks per game.  He continues to improve his offensive game but his rebounding skills have really opened scouts eyes.  If he can add some more strength he will continue to increase his NBA stock for the 2009 draft.

5. Minnesota Timberwolves – SG James Harden, Sophomore – Arizona State

In his freshman year he went under the radar but many scouts think that he will produce immediately in the NBA.  He is a great scorer who can get to the basket or hit the outside shot.  The only questions about Harden are his lateral quickness and his size at his position.

6. Oklahoma City Thunder – PF Ed Davis, Freshman – North Carolina

Has tremendous upside which could make him a top 10 lottery pick.  Very good length and great explosiveness.  Is very active on the defensive side as well as the offensive side.  Needs to continue to work on his offensive game especially his right hand.

7. Golden State Warriors – PG Willie Warren, Freshman – Oklahoma

One of the top freshmen in this years’ class.  He has great size for a point guard and is very athletic.  If he can continue to improve on his PG skills and on the defensive end his stock could rise towards the end of the season and be a middle lottery pick in the 2009 NBA draft.

8. Toronto Raptors - C Cole Aldrich, Sophomore – Kansas

Last year Aldrich only averaged 8 minutes a game on the championship winning Kansas team.  This year he is playing really well.  His offensive game continues to improve but is a great rebounder and has become a nice shot blocker.

9. New York Knicks – PG/SG Stephen Curry, Junior – Davidson

Curry is currently a candidate for National Player of the Year in NCAA.  He is one of the best scorers in college basketball and now that he has switched to PG this year, scouts believe his role in the NBA is a lot bigger.  His size is a downside to his game along with improving his quickness and strength.

10. New Jersey Nets – SF Earl Clark, Junior – Louisville

The Louisville small forward is a very versatile player.  He is a very gifted athlete with great length and explosiveness.  Still needs to add strength and work on making his outside jump shot more consistent.

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